Tales From Around The Globe

Channeling Study Abroad to Face Post-Grad Fears

During the weeks surrounding Halloween, a pretty common theme is fear. What scares you the most? Is it snakes or zombies, or something that goes bump in the night? Maybe it is flying or public speaking or math. Recently, I have found that my biggest fear is the future. I am a college senior looking ahead to my post-college plans and it both excites and absolutely terrifies me.

When I was younger and was scared of a monster under my bed, my parents would come in and reassure me that nothing was there. Now, I have to work to reassure myself about my future. Something I commonly think about when trying to calm my fears of the future is my experience studying abroad in San José, Costa Rica in the Fall of 2016.

Going abroad is scary in and of itself. There’s a whole unfamiliar place to get used to, new people, and a new culture. In Costa Rica there were new bus routes to learn, new foods to try, and even new traffic laws. I think some of the scariest moments I had were simply crossing the street — you really have to pay attention!

But what isn’t scary is the fact that I adapted and enjoyed myself during my experience abroad. It was challenging, different, and new but I absolutely loved it.

Furthermore, what calms my fears about the future is the fact that I have my experiences abroad to talk about as I look towards future job and career opportunities.

Studying abroad helps me everyday to face my fears head on. It helps me look at my “future” monster right in the eye and allows it to inspire me instead of terrify me. Boo!